The fine is just a small fraction of the £450,000 that companies have been ordered to pay Thames Water in the past seven years, as part of legal costs from contractors, landowners and other third parties who illegally connected to their clean water mains without authorisation.  

With climate change and population growth putting a strain on water resources, Thames Water is taking action against those who illegally connect to clean water mains, as they compromise the integrity of the clean water network and do not pay for their connections, or the water consumed.  

Since 2017, more than 39 separate offences were uncovered and prosecuted and over 500 retrospective charges have been issued for first offences.

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The money is reinvested back into crucial work to provide clean and wastewater services to around 16 million customers across London and the Thames Valley.  

As part of its efforts to use water effectively, the company is committed and obligated to protect its clean water supply for customers.  

Claire Rumens, Thames Water’s illegal connections manager, said: “Our work to find and stop illegal connections helps us to uncover hundreds of offences and save millions of litres in water and uphold our statutory obligation to protect, control and maintain our clean water network.  

“As we ask our customers to use water wisely and have engineers working around the clock to find and fix leaks, we are also doing our part to stop illegal connections to our water supply.

“We will always look to work with individuals and companies to educate and reduce the risk of re-offending."